Record Cutter
Key Features
- Vinyl-cut waveforms captured from a Gakken toy record cutter, delivering authentic analog degradation and lo-fi texture in every preset
- Nine curated presets including Dusty Sine, Flutter Keys, Topanga Canyon, Broken Triangles, Massive Friends, Vinyl Saws, Poorly Cut Strings, Strange Bedfellows, and Acetate Blanks
- Full ADSR envelope with dedicated attack, delay, sustain, and release controls for precise amplitude shaping
- Built-in chorus, tone shaping, and reverb effects for expanding and coloring sounds without leaving the interface
- Runs inside the Decent Sampler plugin, compatible with all major DAWs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Lightweight footprint that loads quickly and uses minimal CPU, making it easy to layer multiple instances across a session
Description
Record Cutter Synth by Decent Samples is a lo-fi synthesizer instrument built from test tones physically cut onto vinyl records using a Gakken toy record cutter from Japan. The resulting sounds have a breathy, fragile character that sits somewhere between vintage synthesis and worn acetate playback.
The library started when the developer acquired a consumer-grade record cutter from the 1940s, then later a Gakken unit offering similar fidelity. Rather than reproducing music, the cutter was repurposed as a creative effect processor, degrading pure waveforms into something warmly imperfect.
Nine presets cover a range of textures from dusty sine waves and fluttering keys to warped saw tones and crackling string pads. Each preset routes through onboard tune, attack, delay, sustain, release, chorus, tone, and reverb controls for quick sound shaping.
The ethereal, slightly unsettling quality of these sounds makes them well suited to horror and suspense scoring, ambient music, and lo-fi hip-hop textures. Producers working in cinematic sound design will find the organic vinyl degradation adds a layer of authenticity that digital processing alone struggles to replicate.
Record Cutter runs inside the Decent Sampler plugin, which is available at no cost for Windows, macOS, and Linux in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Record Cutter require the full version of Kontakt?
No. Record Cutter is built for Decent Sampler, not Kontakt. Decent Sampler is a completely separate sample player that you can download at no cost from the Decent Samples website. It supports VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
How were the sounds in Record Cutter actually made?
The developer cut pure test tones (sine waves, saw waves, etc.) onto blank vinyl discs using a Gakken toy record cutter from Japan, then played the discs back and recorded the results into a computer. The physical imperfections of the vinyl cutting and playback process create the library's signature lo-fi character.
Can I use Record Cutter for film and game scoring?
Yes. The ethereal, slightly unsettling tones are well suited to horror, suspense, and atmospheric scenes. The built-in reverb and tone controls let you push presets toward darker, more cinematic territory without additional processing.
What presets are included?
Record Cutter ships with nine presets: Dusty Sine, Flutter Keys, Topanga Canyon, Broken Triangles, Massive Friends, Vinyl Saws, Poorly Cut Strings, Strange Bedfellows, and Acetate Blanks. Each preset offers a different take on vinyl-degraded synthesis, from warm pad textures to gritty leads.
